"Not only has it been the model of best practice in self-regulation in the western world, it has also been instrumental in getting laws changed in other countries so that the internet can be policed in certain areas."

'Incentive'

He said the Internet Watch Foundation had an important role to play in ensuring justice. And he credited the organisation's staff "who have taken the vision and implemented it".

"The honour does provide me with an incentive to continue to try to fix other problems in this world," Mr Dawe told BBC News Online.

"I hope that those I tackle in the future meet with
equal success."

Stem cell research

Another honour in the field of science and technology went to Robert Brian Heap, vice-president of the Royal Society, who received a CBE.

Scientists believe stem cells may provide new medical treatments

The Cambridge University professor was honoured for his work on reproductive biology and his role as an international scientist.

Professor Heap was a member of the government committee on therapeutic cloning.

The panel recently recommended that scientists be allowed to take cells from early-stage embryos and use them to grow skin and other types of tissues as a potential medical treatment.

An award also went to Professor Charles Fewson, a microbiologist at the University of Glasgow, who was made OBE.

And Professor Robert Gurney, a climate change expert at the University of Reading, also received an OBE.